Giving Zakah before the completion of the year

Question

If one year on possessions will complete on 1st Zi Qa’ad for the first time and a person wants to give Zakat on those possessions during Ramdan (before the completion of the year), can he do so?

Answer

It is permissible to discharge Zakah before the complete year has passed as long as the person discharging Zakah is an owner of nisaab at the time of discharge. It is also permissible to discharge Zakah a few years ahead. If one does discharge his Zakah early then at the end of his year he must check his complete estate upon which he is obliged to pay Zakah to ensure he has not given less. If he has given less then he must now pay the due that is left to pay. If he has paid more than that which was due then he may regard it as part of his Zakah for the following year. In the case that he paid Zakah early and at the completion of his year he became bankrupt and lost all his estate and did not remain an owner of the ‘nisaab’ then what he gave prior as Zakah will now become a voluntary sadaqah.

It is mentioned in Bahar-e-Shariat with reference to Fatawa Alamgiri,

“An owner of the nisaab can discharge Zakah before the completion of his year with the condition that he remains an owner of the nisaab at the end of the year. If he does not remain an owner of the nisaab at the end of his year or in between the year the nisaab has completely gone then whatever he discharged has become nafl (voluntary). As for he who is not an owner of a nisaab, he cannot discharge Zakah which means if he did discharge something in between his year and at the end of his year became an owner of the nisaab, that which he discharged will not be regarded as his Zakah”.

Sadr Al-Shariah further writes with reference to Fatawa Alamgiri,

“An owner of a nisaab can also give his zakah a few years ahead”.

And Allah knows best.
Zahid Hussain Al-Qadiri
(Beggar at the doorstep of Scholars)
29 Sha’baan 1436 AH